been so highly recommended by his driver. The house, dripping though it
was from every eave, had such a romantic air that he thought he could
venture to cite other reasons for his stay there than the prosaic one of
business. That is, if the landlady should give any evidence of being at
all in accord with her quaint home and picturesque surroundings.

She showed herself and he at once gave her credit for being all he could
wish in the way of credulity and good-nature, and meeting her with the
smile which had done good execution in its day, he asked if she had a
room for a writer who was finishing a book, and who only asked for quiet
and regular meals before his own cosy fire. This to rouse her imagination
and make her amenable to his wishes for secrecy.

She was a simple soul and fell easily into the trap. In half an hour Mr.
Ransom was ensconced in a pleasant room over the porch, a room which he
soon learned possessed many advantages. For it not only overlooked the
main entrance, but was so placed as to command a view of all the rooms on
his hall. In two of those rooms he bade fair to be greatly interested,
Mrs. Deo having remarked that they were being prepared for a lady who was
coming that night. As he had no doubt who this lady was, he encouraged
the good woman to talk, and presently had the satisfaction of hearing her
say that she was very happy over this lady's coming, as she was a Sitford
girl, one of the old family of Hazens, and though married now and very
rich was much loved by every one in town because she had never forgotten
Sitford or Sitford people.

She was coming! He had made no mistake. And this was the place of her
birth, just as he had decided when he saw that long line of oxen! He
realized how fortunate he was, or rather how indebted he was to Mr.
Harper, since in this place only could he hope to gain satisfaction on
the mooted point raised by that same gentleman. If she had been born
here, so had her twin sister; so had the brother whose claims lay counter
to that sister's. Both must have been known to these people, their
persons, their history and the circumstances of their supposed deaths.
The clews thus afforded must prove invaluable to him. From them he must
soon be able to ascertain in which story to place faith and which
claimant to believe. He might have interrogated his hostess, but feared
to show his interest in the supposed stranger. He preferred to wait a few
hours and gather his facts fr